


Looking Out for You

by angielovestoasties



Series: Johnny Feels Loved [1]
Category: The Outsiders - S. E. Hinton
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fist Fights, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Johnny gets beaten up, M/M, Sexual Content, Socs, emotional dally, may be slightly ooc but it had to be for the fic, soda and steve is implied
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-27
Updated: 2019-11-27
Packaged: 2021-02-24 16:54:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,702
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21581494
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/angielovestoasties/pseuds/angielovestoasties
Summary: 'How he wished he didn’t have to go home again. He didn’t want to face the violence from his father, waking up with bruises all over his scrawny body and cuts he knew would scar.' After an encounter with the Soc's, the rest of the gang nurse Johnny back to health.
Relationships: Johnny Cade/Dallas Winston
Series: Johnny Feels Loved [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1555390
Kudos: 65





	Looking Out for You

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you all for reading this fic! I had a super time writing it! Also, age of constent laws were a big issue for me here as in Australia it is 16+, therefore Johnny would be legal, but I do not know what it is due to other countries having different laws. Other than that, please enjoy!

The cold air circulated around Johnny as he shoved his hands into his pockets, hunching himself over to prevent his exposure to the biting cold. He hated autumn, the cold leaving him sick all the damn time.

He shivered and reached into the pocket of his denim jacket, grabbing out his carton of cigarettes and lighting one. As he puffed out the smoke, he looked up in the direction he was headed. He hadn’t noticed he’d subconsciously walked all the way to the direction of the Curtis’.

Johnny didn’t want to burden them with his own problems, especially this late at night. They already had their own problems, and he hated the way that they pitied and babied him. The whole gang did it - they treated him as if he couldn’t defend himself. Sure, he may not be the best, but he damn well didn’t need them on his back, though he couldn’t blame them for caring, being one of the youngest members other than Pony.

He turned away from the direction of their house and towards the empty lot, figuring he could just sleep on top of the ripped up car seat. It was better than his own home.

His father hadn’t managed to get a hit on him this time with Johnny leaving far before the argument between his parents had gotten violent. He still had aching ribs from the week before. Johnny turned into the empty lot, walking towards the car seat and sitting down. He took slow drags of the cigarette until the stub was left, throwing it onto the ground and crushing it with his foot. The cold had come back, the wind rustling the trees around him and causing him to pull his jacket tighter towards his body in an attempt to keep body heat.

He ran a hand through his greasy hair and took a shuddering breath. How he wished he didn’t have to go home again. He didn’t want to face the violence from his father, waking up with bruises all over his scrawny body and cuts he knew would scar. He didn’t want to see the gang’s reaction as they saw again and again the abuse of his home life, the pity and sadness on their faces as they pulled him inside, patching up his bruises and cuts and making sure he had something to eat.

Mostly, he hated the reaction of Dally. The way his blue eyes filled with anger, his fist white from clenching it so tight. He hated the anger he saw there, the willingness to protect Johnny with all fibres of his being. But he mostly hated the way he liked it. He liked the way Dally would protect him, ensuring him he wasn’t a burden and that he did belong, that he was wanted in the gang. Though it still didn’t mean he enjoyed being babied.

Johnny was quite distracted in his thoughts that he didn’t notice the blue Mustang pulling up next to the lot, only noticing when the headlights shone directly onto him. The light blinded him temporarily, and he raised his arms towards his face in an attempt to be able to see who it was. The car doors slammed as multiple figures stepped onto the lot, staring straight at him.

Johnny felt the pounding of his heart in his ears, a rush that drowned out all sounds around him, as fear pooled in his stomach making his blood run cold. What are the Soc’s doing in this side of town, Johnny didn’t have time to linger on the thought as they approached him, laughing and sneering at him. He tried to keep calm, but he couldn’t control the shaking of his hands or the short breaths he was taking.

Johnny knew he could fight, he was a solid fighter when it came to fighting with the other gang members, but he knew he couldn’t take on a group of Soc’s alone. Not Soc’s who were much fitter than he himself was.

“Hey greaser.” He could just make out the figure of who he believed was the leader in front of him in the darkness. He tried to memorise recognisable features of the leader for later, though he knew it was pointless. Distracted by looking at their clean cut brown hair and button up top, Johnny missed the question that was aimed at him.

The leader came up to him and grabbed him by the collar of his denim jacket, pulling Johnny towards him before shoving him onto the ground. “I said what’re you doing here all alone?”

Johnny didn’t answer, trying to control the panic that was rising up fast in his throat. The leader climbed on top of him while the other Soc’s who had been standing back rushed to his side, pinning down Johnny’s arms. Johnny started thrashing around, trying to escape, knowing that escape was futile, but too panicked to do anything else. The other Soc’s began pressing down onto him, pushing him further and further into the ground and away from escape.

“You dirty little greaser… I hate greasers.” Johnny heard the slap of a hand on his face before he felt it. He quickly felt the pain of the slap, crying out and trying to escape even more than previously.

At the sound of his cry the leader smiled to himself and pulled Johnny up with him, before punching him right in the ribcage, knocking the breath out of Johnny. Johnny coughed and spluttered, trying desperately to catch his breath and fight back the tears that pricked the corners of his eyes, ready to fall. The other Soc’s had surrounded him, forming a circle around him he knew he couldn’t escape. They were much larger and buffer than Johnny was, but that didn’t stop him from trying.

Johnny ran towards one of the Soc’s, trying to tackle him to the ground. He managed to run a couple of feet away from the circle before he was pulled back in by his jacket, the Soc’s closing in further.

“Don’t think about escaping, once we’re done with you you’ll wish you were dead.” The same Soc who had pulled him back previously raised a fist, connecting it with Johnny’s nose, the crack resonating throughout the lot. Johnny gasped as the sharp sting of pain overwhelmed him, feeling the blood dripping down his lips onto his white shirt. Not even a couple of seconds later, another fist connected with his chin, and he felt the rings adorning the fingers leave a deep cut on his skin.

His brain was pounding in his skull when he was kicked from behind, falling onto his stomach on the dirt below him. He felt the leader grab him by the hair and pull his head back, Johnny gasping for breath and letting out tiny whimpers from the pain coursing through his body.

“Poor little greaser, all alone without his friends to save him.” He slammed Johnny’s head into the ground, leaving him coughing as he choked on his own blood. All Johnny could feel was the pain and ache as the Soc’s finished their job, kicking him in the ribs and punching him where they could. He could hear was the sound of his cries and whimpers as he tried to protect himself - but it was no use. One of the Soc’s managed to find their switchblade, and proceeded to flip him over and carve a line into Johnny’s neck, deep enough to bleed but not enough to cause serious damage.

“We’ll be back for round two, and this time you won’t be so lucky.” Johnny felt the leader’s breath on his ear before he retreated and he heard their footsteps turning away from him and back towards the car, the Soc’s hopping in and driving off, hollering and whooping at their triumph.

Johnny laid on his back, blinking away the tears forming in his eyes and struggling to catch his breath. He must have some cracked ribs, as it became painful to take long and deep breaths, opting for shorter and quicker breaths instead. He looked up at the dull and dark sky. Why me, Johnny thought as he choked on his breath and closed his eyes, fighting off the pain. The Soc’s were in the wrong part of town, their own being the West side. They had no right to venture into the East side. The only reason they would be is if they were deliberately looking for trouble. They were deliberately looking to beat up Johnny.

Johnny laid there for what seemed like ages, the ringing in his skull beginning to die down with each minute that passed by. He told himself he wasn’t going to cry. The lump in his throat grew bigger the more he sniffed and thought about the past thirty minutes of his life. As Johnny’s eyes started to droop as he struggled to keep himself awake, he heard the sounds of individuals walking -- no, running -- towards him.

Thinking it was the Soc’s back for round two, Johnny braced himself for impact, not having the physical strength to crawl away. He heard the gasp and horror, unable to open his eyes. Johnny let out another whimper and coughed, feeling blood dribbling out of his mouth.

He heard more and more individuals arriving, hearing their swearing and panicking. He thought he could hear Ponyboy in the back, asking Darry if they should take him to the hospital.

He felt someone kneel beside him and bring their arms underneath his knees and shoulders, beginning to lift him up into their chest. Johnny let out a cry at the immense pain he felt, his body on fire.

“Hey Johnnycake, it’s okay, I’ve got you man. You’re safe with me.” Dally pulled him closer into his chest, holding him firmly. He began to stand up, Johnny drifting out of consciousness.

“Yeah, it’s me, I’ll protect you.” Johnny didn’t register he’d even mentioned Dallas’ name until he’d heard the reply. He felt someone tap his cheek lightly, and cracked open one eye. He saw Sodapop looking down at him.

“Come on, don’t fall asleep, you need to stay awake.” Johnny could hear the strained tone of voice, Soda himself being distraught. Johnny looked behind Soda and noticed the rest of the gang there: Two-bit, Steve, Darry and Ponyboy. They were there for him, all of them. They would protect him, just like Dally promised.

Johnny didn’t notice he’d started crying until he felt the wracking sobs resonate in his body, his face tucked right into Dally’s shirt. He felt Dally’s hand rubbing his back as they continued to walk back to the Curtis'. He heard the others mumbling to themselves about Johnny, and he could hear the anger plainly in their voices. He started to tense up, thinking about how they’d go looking for the Soc’s who did it, and potentially get themselves hurt. He didn’t want them to get hurt because of him.

He hadn’t noticed that his thoughts had been expressed in his body language until he felt Dally whisper in his ear, holding him closer. “Relax Johnnycake, we’ve got you. We’ll be with you.”

Johnny just buried his face further into Dally’s shirt, his throat constricted and tears still rushing freely down his face. He’d never cried this much, not even when his father beat him to a pulp.

“There were too many of them… I-I couldn’t defend myself…” Sobs echoed through the night as they turned towards the Curtis’ house. He felt a hand grab his own hand, which had been loosely dangling downwards. He didn’t need to look to know it was Ponyboy who squeezed his hand and held it tighter.

“Don’t talk or you’ll hurt your throat, okay Johnny? We’re going to get you cleaned up inside and you’ll stay with us tonight.” Darry’s voice was steady as he opened the door, creating enough room for Dally to lay Johnny onto the couch. Johnny nodded and closed his eyes, feeling himself drift off to sleep.

“Hey, stay awake pal, don’t close your eyes.” Two-bit tapped his cheek, watching over him while Darry and Sodapop went into the kitchen, grabbing some soapy water, bandages and rags. They came back and lifted Johnny so he was sitting upright, Johnny wincing in the process.

“This will sting a little.” Johnny flinched away as he felt a cool rag being pressed onto his cheek, soaking up the blood and cleaning the wound. Sodapop gently cleaned the wound with antiseptic and Johnny let out a whimper of pain, grabbing onto Dally’s hand, who was sitting on the arm rest next to him.

Soda then lifted up Johnny’s chin to look at the cut on his neck. Johnny felt Soda tense and his hand grip his chin tighter, the sharp intake of breath cut through the silence.

“Is it… is it bad?” Johnny looked at the others, seeing their eyes trained to his neck. His brown eyes were wide open in fear as he became anxious for the answer.

“No.” Dally said, choking back his anger. Johnny could tell it must have been bad for Dally to be that angry so he gave his hand a tight squeeze, feeling Dally reciprocate the touch.

“It’s deep, but it’ll heal. It’ll leave a nasty scar though.” Sodapop began his work on Johnny’s neck. He felt searing pain and flinched away, much more than he had with his face. Ponyboy sat next to Johnny and placed his head on his lap, threading his hands through his hair to calm him down and distract him from the pain. Johnny could feel Pony’s fingers pulling apart the knots in his hair. He still had a tight grip on Dally’s hand, who wasn’t intending on letting go until he knew Johnny was safe.

Steve wrapped a bandage around Johnny’s neck and secured it, making sure the cut was covered to prevent any infection.

Soda then placed his hands on either side of Johnny’s nose, causing him to flinch away. “We’re going to have to reset your nose, it’s broken.”

“It’ll hurt like a bitch but it’s better than having it out of place.” Johnny nodded and felt pressure begin to build up on his nose, tensing up from the pain. He felt a crack and cried out in pain, throwing his head forward to protect himself.

He felt the others tense up around him at his cry of pain. “I’m really sorry Johnny.” He could hear the remorse in Soda’s voice and whispered a quiet ‘it’s okay’ as he relaxed again.

“We’re going to wrap up your ribs now, so we’ll have to take off your jacket and shirt.” Johnny nodded and let Dally and Pony sit him upright, struggling to take his clothes off. Dally ended up removing his shirt after Ponyboy had taken his jacket.

Johnny looked down and could see the bruises blooming across his tanned skin, shame filling his stomach. He could never defend himself and it was obvious, he was the weakest member of the gang, always relying on the others to protect him. He felt like he wasn’t valid as a member, they could always survive without him, but he couldn’t without them. He’d spaced out, feeling tears prickling the corners of his eyes.

“Hey Johnnycake, look at me.” Dallas gently took his head in two hands and lifted his head to look him in the eye. “I know what you’re thinking, that you don’t fucking belong with us, but that’s not true. You’re equally a part of this gang as I am.” Johnny felt his heart jump and heat form on his cheeks.

Johnny gave a quivering smile to Dally and turned to Sodapop, who had begun unwrapping larger bandage with Steve.

“You’ve cracked a couple of ribs so they need to heal.” Johnny nodded and continued staring at Dally, who had softened his eyes to let him know he was safe with him. Johnny knew that he could get through the pain of healing over and over again with Dallas and the others by his side. Johnny started to fall forwards as his body ached and throbbed, Darry and Two-bit supporting him on each side.

Sodapop began to wrap the bandage around Johnny’s ribs and chest, tightening the bandages as he went around numerous times. Johnny’s breath came in short and sharp as pain flared in his ribs, letting out whimpers and cries of pain. He began to look down before Dally lifted his head up, making sure he maintained eye contact.

“It’ll be over soon man, you’ll be able to rest.” Johnny could see the pain reflected in Dally’s expression. An expression he’d never seen shown to any of the others. It was an expression that was caring, much unlike his usual emotions.

Soda finished securing the bandage and packed up the equipment, walking into the kitchen. “Do you want something to eat Johnny?” He shook his head at the question, he’d rather his stomach feel empty than full due to the ache of his body.

Johnny began to feel the chill biting at his exposed skin and turned to the floor, where Dally had placed his shirt and jacket. He began to stand up, intending to put his clothes back on and head home. Before he could take a step, he felt his legs start to give out underneath him and hands on his chest, lightly pushing him back down onto the couch.

“Not so fast kid, you’re going to collapse if you stand up.” Johnny looked up at Darry standing directly in front of him, not understanding why he wouldn’t let him leave. “Don’t give me that look. You may think you’re fine, but I’m not letting you out of the house to get beat up again. Plus, you couldn’t even walk straight if you tried.”

“It’ll be fine Darry, it’s not something I haven’t done before. Plus, you don’t have enough room for me to stay here.” Johnny tried to convince Darry that he didn’t need to stay there. He felt bad enough always coming to their house for food and help after his old man beat him up. He felt bad leeching off of them -- they hardly had enough as it is and they should be using it for themselves, not for him.

“We always have room for you here Johnny. Don’t think for a second we’re doing it because we feel obligated to -- we’re doing it because you’re family. You’re my best friend, and if anything happened to you I wouldn’t be able to live with myself.” Pony had sat himself next to Johnny on the couch, placing his left hand on top of Johnny’s right.

“Now, you’re going to stay with us tonight, okay? We want you to be safe.” Johnny felt a lump in his throat. He felt more loved and cared for by the gang than he did his own parents. His parents abused him emotionally and physically, enforcing to him that he was unwanted and useless. That had been drilled into him for years and he couldn’t understand why anyone would care about him. But the gang did care. The gang was always there for him, and would continue to be until the day he dies.

Johnny nodded in response, and for the first time in a while, smiled a genuine smile. Pony gave him a smile back and squeezed his hand. “You can sleep in my bed tonight, Darry will sleep on his chair so Soda and I can stay in his room.”

Johnny turned towards Darry, shaking his head. “No it’s okay, I can sleep on the couch.”

Before Johnny could continue, Dally walked towards him, looming above him with a gentle look in his blue eyes. “No “it’s okay”’s, okay? Plus it’s better for your cracked ribs if you lie on a softer surface.”

Dallas began to light a cigarette, gesturing to Johnny if he wanted a puff. Johnny nodded and after taking a drag himself he gave the cigarette to Johnny, who took a deep inhale and blew out the smoke, feeling the smoke circulating through his lungs. He gave Dally the cigarette back who then held out a ball of black fabric to him. Johnny looked up at him, his brows furrowed in confusion.

“It’s a shirt for you to wear. Your shirt is stained with shit, so you can wear one of mine.” Johnny felt his cheeks heat up as he reached forward, grabbing the ball of fabric and pulling it towards him. Dally took a drag of the cigarette and stubbed it out in the ashtray on the coffee table near him. “You all good to put it on yourself kid?”

Johnny began to stand up and slowly put on the shirt, cautious of all the bandages and his broken nose. The fabric swarmed around him, reaching his mid thighs and making him look even smaller than he already was. If he’d been paying attention, he would have noticed the way Dally looked him up and down, adoration clear on his face.

“Now Johnnycakes, what the fuck happened? We know your father didn’t do this, so there’s no use using that as an excuse.” Dally sat next to him on the couch, facing him and demanding an answer, though it was plain to see on his face that Johnny didn’t have to answer if he didn’t want to.

“I was walking to the empty lot and, uh, I was jumped by a gang of Socs…” Johnny glanced down, overcome with the urge to cry. He couldn’t get the voice of the leader out of his head, telling him that it wasn’t over, that there would be a round two.

“They then beat me up.” Johnny cleared his throat, trying to stop the tears from falling, though one escaped and slowly fell down his cheek. The Soc’s beating him up was nothing compared to his own Father -- the Soc’s being much more bloodlusting.

“Did they say anything to you? Did you see their faces?” He hadn’t noticed that the rest of the gang stood in front of Johnny and Dally, paying equally as much attention to the recount. Johnny shook his head, looking up at them.

“They… They said they’d be back for round two, and this time I wouldn’t be so lucky… That after this time I was going to wish I was d-dead.” Johnny choked on his voice at the end, unable to stop his tears and feeling his body shake with small sobs. Dally put a hand on his back, stable, to ground him to reality. To ground him to the present and not to his memories of the event.

“I’m going to kill them. If I see them I’m going to fucking kill them.” Dally shouted angrily, causing Johnny to flinch away. He noticed and calmed down, turning to face Johnny. “I’m not going to let them hurt you, okay? This goes for the rest of the gang too. We’ll have someone walk with you so you don’t get jumped again.” Johnny nodded, wiping away his tears with his hands. He didn’t want to admit it, but he was fucking scared. He was scared they’d be back for another round, and this time he would be dead. He didn’t want to die at the hands of the Socs.

A sudden wave of exhaustion hit Johnny, his body aching and feeling as if he could sleep for ten years. Two-bit in fear of Johnny collapsing on himself, walked up to him and placed his hand on his shoulder, steadying him in his spot.

“I think it’s time you go lay down kid, isn’t that right?” Two-bit turned to face the others, who nodded in response. He began to help Johnny, who sagged into his side when he stood up. They all walked towards Ponyboy and Sodapop’s bedroom with Dally watching the group from behind, glancing at Johnny with care.

Johnny laid down on the bed, looking up at the others. “Thank you.” He managed to say, trying to express all the gratitude he felt on his face. They all smiled at him and nodded, Sodapop ruffling his hair, Johnny grumbling and swatting his hand away.

“Anything for you kid.” They all trudged out of the room closing the door, all except for Dally who stayed staring at Johnny. He moved forward until he was sitting next to Johnny on the edge of the bed, facing him.

Dally was staring deeply at Johnny, looking as if he wanted to say something but figuring out how to express it. “I don’t want to see you get hurt again, especially by those fuckers.” Dallas broke the silence in the room.

“You don’t need to worry about me Dally, I’ll be fine-”

“No you won’t be!” Dally shouted, making Johnny freeze in his movement and stare at him, mouth agape. Dallas never said anything like that -- he never showed anyone that he cared.

“This is going to happen again and again, those Socs know that they can get away with it because you seem to think you deserve it or some bullshit like that, when you don’t!” Johnny sat up and looked down at his lap, blinking away tears that seemed all too common tonight.

Dally seemed to soften instantly and reached his hands out towards Johnny’s, grasping them tight in his own. Dally was secure and safe.

“I don’t want to see you like this night after night, beaten to a pulp for just existing. You deserve more than the shit you take… you’re just a kid.” Johnny could hear the sorrow in Dallas’ voice. He never wanted to hear that directed towards him again.

Johnny hadn’t noticed he’d started crying again till Dally had pulled Johnny to his chest, holding him close enough that Johnny could hear his increased heartbeat.

“I want you to be safe… I want you to be protected -- protected by me.” Johnny nodded, wiping away the tears under his eyes with his hands.

“I feel useless and unwanted by everyone… I just want to feel happy.” Johnny felt his body trembling and heard Dallas whispering comforting words into his ears.

Dally held him until the tears had stopped again, holding on tightly. It made Johnny feel protected. It made him feel loved. Johnny blushed at the thought and shoved his head further into Dally’s chest, surrounded by the warmth and his strong hold.

Johnny began to feel Dallas pull away and held onto him tighter.

“Can you.. Can you stay with me?” Johnny asked Dally.

Dallas hummed an affirmative and began to hop down onto the bed onto the floor.

“Dally, there’s enough room on the bed. I’m not letting you sleep on the floor.” Johnny blushed again at the insinuation of what he meant. He’d slept in the same area as Dally before, but never the bed and not when he knew he had feelings for him.

He heard Dally take a sharp intake of breath and hop up, hopping under the covers next to Johnny. Dallas moved towards the edge of the bed facing Johnny on the left side of the bed. Johnny wished Dallas would hold him in his arms, whispering to him sweet nothings as he drifted off to sleep. Johnny, deciding to take his chances, moved further back into Dallas’ chest.

At feeling Dally tense up, Johnny turned around to face him. “Can you hold me? I’m just scared.” This was true, Johnny couldn’t get the images of the Soc’s out of his mind whenever he closed his eyes, causing his anxiety to flare up.

Dally just laid on his back and pulled Johnny close towards him, placing his head under his chin and holding him close to his chest. Johnny could hear the fast thump-thump-thump of Dallas’ heartbeat, calming him down and lulling him to sleep.

“Thank you Dallas… for everything.”

“It’s no problem, Johnnycakes.”

Johnny couldn’t be too sure, but he was positive the last thing he felt before he fell asleep was Dally’s lips on his forehead, kissing him and pulling him closer towards his chest, protecting Johnny even in his dreams.


End file.
